TIFFIN 2

12

Hey everyone!! Hope you're all doing well ❤❤
_________________________________________

I felt like I was walking death row as I made my way to the main office. 

Everyone's eyes were on me and Tawnee's loud announcement about my fate hadn't made things any better. 

What did cops want with me? 

Maybe that sex tape had caught wind around town after all. Hero and I never really had a chance to make a home out of our apartment. We hadn't been around the grocery stores for anything. 

I could imagine all the judgemental stares now.

As I was practically shoved into a seat, I stared at Tawnee and Cole who seemed to look down at me. 

What was going on? 

"I don't mean to be rude," I began, "but why are the cops coming for my job?"
 
Tawnee set her hands atop mine. 

"Just know that none of this is your fault, dear. I'm not sure if I can really talk about this right now. It's not in my jurisdiction-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a pair of violent knocks sounded on the door. Tawnee immediately jumped up to open the door. 

As promised, two beefy men in uniform entered, looking nothing shy of seriousness.

One of the cops took a seat in front of me, with a pair of shades covering his eyes. 

"Afternoom, ma'am," he said, "I apologize for interrupting your morning but me and my partner need to have a word with you. We've asked your managers to be here today."

"I've picked myself and Cole, a person from management and one from corporate." Tawnee explained. "It's for your protection and our own." 

"Okay..." I trailed off, not quite sure how to take all this. 

For now, it didn't seem as if I were losing my job. 

"We've had a lot of tips about this case that's come to light," the cop went on with his partner still standing like a statue, "it's a very inappropriate snippet that's been going around the nearby college. Would you mind taking a look?" 

I shut my eyes, already knowing what I was about to see. Anxiety grew inside me knowing that both my bosses were going to be witnesses to it as well.

I swallowed hard. 

"Yeah. Go ahead." 

Without saying much more, the cop brandished a cell phone from his pocket, loading up the all-too-familiar video. Like before, I saw myself in a compromising position. 

It struck something deep within me, but I had to remember; Luke was the perpetrator. 

I wiped at a stray tear. 

"Is that you?" The cop went on. 

I pressed my lips in a thin line. 

"Yeah," I cleared my throat, "it is me."

The room went silent. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Cole's neck was angled towards me. Oh great. Now he had a new perception of me. 

It wasn't lost on me that they could hear every noise from the tape. It didn't matter that they weren't watching. 

"I see," the cop nodded, "Well, we've had many people come forward, claiming that this video was taken without your knowledge. That alone is a federal crime and I can assure you that you can take measures. You can press charges. Was that what happened?" 

"Well..." 

I paused, thinking about my next choice of words. I had a chance here: was I going against or standing by Hero's side? 

Did I believe him?

"No, that's not what happened," I finally finished. "It was all a crazy rumor that circulated around campus. It was my first time... and I really didn't know how illegal this was. It was an experiment. I understand if there are repercussions." 

After a long moment, the cop looked back at his partner who nodded in turn. 

"Look," he said, "I can't tell you for sure if this will be on your permanent record, but since you're not a repeat offender, we'll let you off. Now, onto the other matter at hand," 

He paused to reveal a piece of parchment. The print was all in black, though I couldn't read what was on it.

"There has been a cold case in our files for a good deal of time. We thought we had it solved, but it seems we were wrong. There was a woman that filed a missing person's report. I know your full name is Kristina Addison on your records, but I must ask; is your real name Kristina Wright?"

Now, this I wasn't expecting. 

I covered my mouth with both my hands, watching as my tears blurred my vision. What could I say to this? I knew deep in my soul that Emma was telling the truth. 

Yet why did I feel so unsure? Inside why was I still second guessing myself? Why couldn't I not be a coward and own up to what I knew? 

Was I scared to face the truth?

"Yes," I said through trembling lips, "that is my name." 

At this, both Tawnee and Cole seemed much more worried. 

"How long have you known?" 

As the cop asked this, his partner began writing on a notepad.

"I mean... I only just found out... I didn't really know...." 

"How did you find out?" The cop continued. 

I stretched out my arms. My fingers grasped the edges of the desk. 

"My real mother," I snapped. "She constantly told the cops about it and you all locked her up and threw away the key." 

The cop didn't seem very fazed by my attitude. 

"I am very sorry about that. We'll have to bring her in for questioning. I know you're an adult now but this is still considered a very serious situation. It seems the couple that stood in as your parents were your kidnappers. We are working on charging them. Do you..."
 
I felt my head pounding. 

The cops voice was now disappearing in the background. I felt my stomach twist, urging me to dump out its contents. I doubled over, trying to return to reality. 

My head started swimming as I saw Cole reach out for me. 

"Kristina!" 

He was too late.

Everything immediately went black.

Things are heating up.

Will Eloise and Charlie get charged?

Who knows.

Love you all.

Please remember to vote and comment.